Farm Security – Don’t Be A Victim

Almost 80 percent of Farmers report that they have been the victim of a major theft within the last 10 years. A major theft doesn’t mean that a few tools came up missing. Instead, it’s commonly livestock, trailers, Welders, ATV’s and UTV’s, and all types of fuel.

Law Enforcement resources are already razor thin, and Rural crime, while still second to Urban crimes reported, is starting to outpace Suburban crimes and thefts, yet fewer resources are focusing on Rural crimes. This means that response times are far greater in Rural areas, manpower is thinner in remote areas, and more crimes go unsolved in rural areas than any other. Therefore, as you may already know, it’s up to you to protect your farm and your investments.

Ways You Can Protect Your Farms:

Many times, just installing a few basic deterrents can cause thieves to move on to easier pickings. When you are looking at an area to see what you can do to improve security, keep this acronym in mind: C.A.L.L. This stands for Cameras, Alarms, Locks & Lights. One or more of these deterrents can save you from being a victim in many cases.

Cameras can be a Security Camera System, or even a hidden Game Camera, depending on whether you have electrical and buildings, or the site is completely remote. Security Cameras are preferred because you get better footage of events, better optics, and thieves don’t want to see a security camera anywhere around when they plan on stealing something. So the deterrent effect of a big, visible security camera is priceless. If your site is really remote, a Game Camera can record vital information, and if you have cell reception in the area, some moels can send you pictures on your phone as the theft is happening.

Alarms are another low cost method of helping to secure a location. Alarms can be fitted to gates, doors and even equipment. If you look for the very loudest alarm siren, these can be heard for almost a mile, and can quickly interrupt a crime in progress. It’s really difficult for a criminal to continue a theft when an alarm is blaring.

Locks, cables and chains are another quick defense to help curb crimes of opportunity. Many times if you put a lock and/or chain on something, thieves may decide it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Plus, if it looks like it may take a while to defeat your security, that may be enough to make them go on down the road.

Lighting is another great deterrent. In the dark of night, if enough motion lights activate as thieves drive into an area, whether they are powered by electrical mains or Solar, doesn’t matter to thieves. Lights coming on as they drive in can make a thief really nervous. Immediately they imagine that either someone has been alerted, or they are being recorded by cameras. It’s hilarious to watch camera footage of thieves scurrying like cockroaches when the lights come on.

It doesn’t take a lot of time or money to throw up a few deterrent devices to thwart most thieves.